So I'm a noob to the ebook scene and am looking for an ereader that is preferably flexible in terms of formats and software and without the proprietary constrains of the nook and kindle. Also, I'm looking for strong pdf support and the ability to annotate and highlight (though not entirely necessary). I download a lot of obscure books that are in pdf format so I don't want to limited.

So far the Boox i62HD seems to be a good fit, but I haven't been able to find a whole lot of reviews about it in English. I also read that Onyx may be rolling out a version with a built in light. Whether or not this is true I don't know.

Anyway, would any of you care to give some of your feedback? Perhaps suggest some other ereaders?

I'm a very enthusiastic recent i62HD owner, but I have to ask why, if your primary purpose is pdf-reading, you're looking at a 6" reader instead of something larger (conventional wisdom being that 6" is too small for practical pdf reading)?

Yes, the i62HD may have the same resolution as some of those larger readers, but my experience is that this does not translate to being able to display the same amount of information in a readable manner -- the text (although faithfully rendered) is just too small to be easily read. The main advantage of the HD display would appear to be smoother/easier-to-read rendition of the same-sized (or only slightly smaller) text.

I'm a very enthusiastic recent i62HD owner, but I have to ask why, if your primary purpose is pdf-reading, you're looking at a 6" reader instead of something larger (conventional wisdom being that 6" is too small for practical pdf reading)?

Yes, the i62HD may have the same resolution as some of those larger readers, but my experience is that this does not translate to being able to display the same amount of information in a readable manner -- the text (although faithfully rendered) is just too small to be easily read. The main advantage of the HD display would appear to be smoother/easier-to-read rendition of the same-sized (or only slightly smaller) text.

I want the 6" due to the ease of portability as well as the i62 being the only model to receive the built-in light feature in the future. Considering that this model is already on the heavier side (250g), I would think that the 9.7 in. m92 would be too heavy and a bit clunky due to its size.

the best way to see how they would look is for illudrium to post links to some free examples of pdfs he might use the i62 for and Hfran to try them out and post pics

Given a decent digital camera, is a pic of a pdf displayed on a 6" 1024x768 eReader going to look any different from that of a 9" 1024x768? The issue would appear to be the limits of human eyesight, rather than the resolution of the display.

(I can of course get oodles more text on the screen -- but it'd unreadable without a magnifying glass. This is the most text I can read comfortably on the screen, given the limitations of the settings and my own, admittedly less-than-perfect, eyesight.)

This is the result (taken from my scanner, as my camera didn't seem to like taking a flash-photo of a screen):

If display size is an issue, couldn't I just use K2pdfopt to format it to size?

Quite possibly. The main problem fiddling with the settings was the fixed line-length, which is why I ended up in landscape mode. This is presumably what K2pdfopt re-optimises (how good a job it does, you'll have to find out for yourself).

All of which reminds me why I avoided pdfs like the plague, when I moved to an eReader. What few I can't avoid I read on my (pivoted-to-portrait for the task) 23" monitor.

But, having gone through this reprocessing, it isn't clear what particular advantage an HD 6" has over a non-HD 6" for pdfs, beyond the fact that it yields slightly clearer/more-readable any text (regardless of whether its pdf, epub, lit or whatever).

I try to avoid them too, it's just that all the books that I find are in pdf format. Usually these books are not well known so these digital retailers don't sell them or are out of print so they can only be found, if at all, in the central library of my city, which is far.

I mean as long as I can acceptably read the text, it's fine. I'm just tired of straining my eyes by reading off an lcd. And it's not like I'll be reading voluminous textbooks either, so it shouldn't be too bad. The density of the text doesn't bother me, but maybe the constant need to refresh it will be. Do you think it would be better for me to reconsider the m92? All of my digital reading material so far is in pdf... :/

I suspect that the larger the average paragraph size, the bigger advantage a bigger screen has for not losing track of where the paragraph is going, particularly a problem if it ends up being split over several screens.

On the other side of the argument, most current-model eReaders have fast enough refresh-rates, that it isn't too distracting to glance back, if need be.

So basically, what I gather is that the 9.7 in. ereaders are best at handling pdfs, particularly the m92. According to what I read, the 9.7 inchers don't require much fiddling around with settings just to make the text appear in a reasonable and legible format. If I want to use a 6 incher, it seems I'll have to jump through a bunch of hoops. I guess this about sums it up.

About the notes and highlighting, not implemented already. Also seems to use a slightly modified coolreader version.

Big bummer for me, as I'm searching alternatives to KT, side buttons do crack noises and not very reliable. I want side buttons.

You're right, it seems to do pretty well
It's pretty much down to the i62 and m92 for me. Both have their pros and cons. If only I could test them out in person, but alas I live in the U.S. so nobody carries these.
Either way I have to pick what's best for my eyes.

-|EDIT|-
So after looking into k2pdfopt more deeply it appears that it actually is a great program for formatting pdf's to its display size. Also, I can use calibre to convert my pdf's to an ereader format if I so choose. This really solves the problem. I think I'll just wait until the i62hd lighted version comes out and get that one.

You're right, it seems to do pretty well
It's pretty much down to the i62 and m92 for me. Both have their pros and cons. If only I could test them out in person, but alas I live in the U.S. so nobody carries these.
Either way I have to pick what's best for my eyes.

-|EDIT|-
So after looking into k2pdfopt more deeply it appears that it actually is a great program for formatting pdf's to its display size. Also, I can use calibre to convert my pdf's to an ereader format if I so choose. This really solves the problem. I think I'll just wait until the i62hd lighted version comes out and get that one.

I am also contemplating between i62 and m92 now or wait for another device. Did you buy either of them yet? Although I would prefer a bigger screen, but M92 needs a stylus for integrated dictionary and highlighting, features which I use a lot. If it were touchscreen it would be much easier. Hoping such a device comes out soon.

I am also contemplating between i62 and m92 now or wait for another device. Did you buy either of them yet? Although I would prefer a bigger screen, but M92 needs a stylus for integrated dictionary and highlighting, features which I use a lot. If it were touchscreen it would be much easier. Hoping such a device comes out soon.

Surely if it has a stylus it IS a touchscreen? How could it use a stylus otherwise?